Federal judge Alvin Hellerstein, who oversaw Maduro case, dies at 92

Death of a long-serving judge

Alvin K. Hellerstein, a senior federal judge in Manhattan, died on Wednesday morning, 28 October 2026, at the age of 92, according to a court spokesman. Ed Friedland, the district executive for the Southern District of New York, also confirmed the death, and The New York Times carried the report. Hellerstein had served nearly three decades in that district after President Bill Clinton appointed him to the federal bench in 1998. ANSA describes him as one of the longest-serving sitting judges in the United States. Citing Israeli media, ANSA also said he was not an ordinary magistrate, observing the Sabbath, praying every day and playing tennis with a group of rabbis.

The Maduro prosecution

When he died, Hellerstein was overseeing the prosecution of Nicolás Maduro. Politico called Maduro a deposed Venezuelan leader, while The New York Times called him a captured one. La Vanguardia reports that Maduro and his wife face charges linked to narcoterrorism and the torture of political opponents. El País says Maduro faces narcotrafficking charges among others and that the high-profile trial is scheduled to begin in June. La Vanguardia described the death as leaving the future of the trial in limbo, since Hellerstein had spent much of his career presiding over high-profile cases in Manhattan.

A career in high-profile cases

ANSA lists a run of high-profile matters during Hellerstein's nearly 30 years on the bench, including litigation over the September 11 attacks, cases concerning genocide in Sudan, and the payments made by Donald Trump to Stormy Daniels. In the Daniels matter he rejected a request by Trump to move the case from New York state court to federal court. Bloomberg adds that he also oversaw proceedings involving Archegos family office founder Bill Hwang. In early 2025 he refused the administration's bid to expel alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1789 wartime law that Trump had invoked to ease deportations.

What happens next

La Vanguardia reports that the court has already said it will assign a new judge to the Maduro case by lottery. The New York Times labeled the story as developing and said updates would follow. El País reports that it is not immediately clear who will replace Hellerstein in the high-profile case, which is set to begin in June. No successor has been named in the reports reviewed.